Notes on Designing, Building and Operating Model Railroads

Before many items were moved into the new house, I claimed a room for model building. The above image offers an idea of the space and how much hobby stuff will need to become organized within that space. Here’s another angle.

Just in the last week, unpacking and arranging furniture and kitchen supplies wrapped up. I had reached the point where I can start working on the hobby room. All of those items in the above images were moved into adjacent rooms and into the closet. Carpet, tack strip and carpet foam were removed. Well, the carpet is rolled up and ready to move. As expected, my wife was enthusiastic on how the floor looks and has wondered if it should be refinished. Here’s the room after attacking the carpet. 

While this is not a typical model railroad location (like a large basement), the room enables a place to build models and to build a small HO scale layout. Benchwork will clear 55 inches from the floor. Shelving for reference books, tools, supplies and kits will be below. A workbench will also be built in under the benchwork, similar to my previous layout. Only three walls can be used for the layout, as a door and closet is along the fourth wall as seen in the second image above. Looking at the two images above, available dimensions are 6′ 5″ for the wall next to the entry door. 11′ 2″ for the wall with the photos. 11′ for the wall with the windows. Possible ideas for the layout will be presented in some upcoming posts.

I have just moved to a new state and have the opportunity to start anew on my hobby ‘career’. The first few months of 2009 has been spent packing up a lifetime of accumulated material and efforts, and moving it to a new place in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area.

From a modeling standpoint, there have been many aspects to consider in preparation for the move. A primary interest is space for a hobby area. I quickly found my model railroad was more than just the layout. Workspace is an important function which can encompass a paint booth, kit and part storage, hardware storage, lighting, and tools. Taking inventory of spaces can and should be a part of the house hunting process. Compromises will need to be made in order to find the best fit.

As it were, my wife and I found a great a house within 20 miles of her new job, which was the primary reason for this move. The home is charismatic and historic, with five bedrooms and nearly three acres of land. As model railroaders, we look first for possible space such as a basement. The new place is lacking in traditional model railroad spaces. The basement functions as the furnace and water utility space, with very low floor joists at head level and an uneven concrete floor. The garage was a decent size, but the garage is for cars in this snow belt. A set of rambling, connected sheds sit behind the garage in poor shape. This shed needs to be leveled, but the footprint is an impressive 20 x 35 (approx.).

So, I made compromises. Long term, there are possibilities to erect a dedicated hobby and workshop on the shed space. To get efforts rolling, I’ve chosen one of the five bedrooms as a model building room. I have realized the compromises made in this move have enabled new opportunities. It seems I have a clean slate. A couple of layout ideas are gathering momentum and I look forward to sharing these here.

Recent motivation and inspiration has come via a Byron Henderson clinic handout from the recent Pacific Coast Region NMRA convention. I have enjoyed his layout design insight and perspectives for several years. You can find the handout on this page of his Layout Vision web site. The link for the “Layout Design Step-by-Step Clinic Handout” PDF file is in the center column towards the bottom of the page. He sums up key points in hardly a page and a half. I have followed a similar process on past projects, but it is great to have it nearby for reference and inspiration. Believe it or not, work has already begun on the new model building room. I’ll have some update posts soon.

Purpose, or why am I doing this?

This site is dedicated to documenting personal model railroad projects with a focus on building, designing and operating model railroads. The target audience consists of other model railroad enthusiasts who are eager to learn and expand their skills and knowledge. I will work towards weekly posts to update current personal projects. On occasion, there may be more than one post per week. I enjoy this hobby on many diverse levels and want to share my experiences with others. It is a great reward to pass along techniques and knowledge so others may find similar enjoyment of a great hobby.